Denny’s All Purpose Emerger

Materials

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Hook TMC 3761 #10-16
Thread Uni-thread Black 8/0
Ribbing Small Copper Wire
Body Hare's Ear Plus, Hare's Ear
Thorax Peacock Herl
Tail Natural Mallard Flank
Wingcase Natural Mallard Flank
Hackle Partridge
Mayfly Emerger
Mayfly Emerger
Denny Rickards

Denny Rickards

Denny’s All Purpose Emerger

Denny’s All Purpose Emerger is designed by Denny Rickards, of Fort Klamath, Oregon. Denny is a stillwater specialist who conducts seminars throughout the West on how to fish stillwater situations for maximum results. Crowley Lake and Bridgeport Reservoir are a couple of his favorite Sierran destinations. Denny has built a reputation of catching a number of very large trout yet he only uses about 5 fly patterns that he developed for stillwaters.

Variation off Puyan’s AP Emerger

His A.P. Emerger is one of those flies. It is a generic pattern, very similar to Andre Puyan’s A.P. series, that represents emerging mayflies or damselflies, depending upon the coloration and size used, by utilizing a soft hackle. He has also found success with this pattern on streams with emerging caddis and other mayflies. The pattern was developed in the early 1990’s and was tied to a 2x long nymph hook such as a Daiichi 1710 or TMC 5262 in sizes 10-14.

In the early 2000’s, however, many have adapted this pattern to a 1x long, 2X Heavy wire nymph hook such as a Daiichi 1560 or TMC 3761 as well as a wider range of sizes from 8-16. The shorter hook length works particularly well for callibaetis imitations and provides the strength to resist bending by especially large trout. This pattern is particularly effective when trout are feeding near the surface on emerging insects.

Presentation with Intermedate Sinking lines

Within stillwaters, Denny prefers an intermediate sinking line or a 5-7 foot clear sink-tip line for this pattern. He likes to concentrate his fishing to the upper 2 feet of the lake since this is the area that trout will hold looking upwards for emerging pupas, the upper ten inches being the best depth for consistent action. Apply slow 4-6 inch pulls. Variations off this pattern include substituting peacock herl with ice dubbing and utilizing colored tinsel for the ribbing providing an attraction element to the pattern.

Denny has had success using this fly in sizes 10-12 at Bridgeport Reservoir, Crowley Lake, Davis Lake, and Heenan Lake during mid-day hours when the damsels emerge or a callibaetis hatch is in progress.

Variations

Denny's A.P. Emerger, Olive
Denny’s A.P. Emerger, Olive

Denny’s A.P. Emerger, Olive

Hook TMC 3761 #10-16
Thread Uni-thread Olive 8/0
Ribbing Copper Wire
Body Olive Hare's Ear Plus
Thorax Peacock Herl
Tail Mallard Flank dyed Olive
Wingcase Mallard Flank dyed Olive
Hackle Partridge dyed Olive
Denny's A.P. Emerger, Black
Denny’s A.P. Emerger, Black

Denny’s A.P. Emerger, Black

Hook TMC 3761 #10-16
Thread Danville Black 6/0
Ribbing Small Silver Wire
Body Black Hare's Ear Plus
Thorax Peacock Herl
Tail Mallard Flank dyed Black
Wingcase Mallard Flank dyed Black
Hackle Partridge dyed Black
Denny's A.P. Emerger, Rusty Brown
Denny’s A.P. Emerger, Rusty Brown

Denny’s A.P. Emerger, Rusty Brown

Hook TMC 3761 #10-16
Thread Uni-thread Rusty Brown 8/0
Ribbing Small Copper Wire
Body Rusty Brown Hare's Ear Plus
Thorax Peacock Herl
Tail Mallard Flank dyed Wood Duck Tan
Wingcase Mallard Flank dyed Wood Duck Tan
Hackle Natural Partridge